Applying For Help

To apply for services, you should call our Legal Advice and Referral Center at 618.394.7300 or toll free at 877.342.7891.

If you are a homeowner in danger of losing your home, have debt collection or consumer rights issues, you should call our Homeowners, Consumer Rights and Debt Collection Hotline toll free at 855.601.9474.

The person who needs legal help should call unless he or she cannot due to age or disability.

Most of our offices use a telephone automated attendant. Listen carefully to the message. You will be told what to do depending on the kind of legal problem you are calling about.

As a general rule, our local offices handle intake for emergencies, and our Homeowners, Consumer Rights and Debt Collection Hotline and our Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC) handles intake for all other new cases.

LARC gets a lot of calls, so you may have to hold to speak to an attorney. LARC takes calls from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

If you have received any papers from a court, government agency or other person such as a landlord, you should have them handy when you call.

All information you give us will be kept confidential.

The person you speak to at the local office, Homeowners, Consumer Rights and Debt Collection Hotline, or LARC will first determine if you are eligible for services. You will be asked some questions about your income and other personal information. If you don’t qualify for our help, we will tell you right away.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES?

If your call is handled by the local office, you will usually be called back or sent a letter for an in-office or telephone appointment. If you do not have a phone, a call back time will be arranged.

If your call is handled by the Homeowners, Consumer Rights and Debt Collection Hotline, you will speak with an intake specialist about your problem immediately. If you qualify for legal representation, then the intake specialist will refer your case to the local office for review.

If your call is handled by LARC, you will speak to an attorney over the telephone about your problem immediately. If you may qualify for more than advice, then the attorney will refer your case to the local office for review.

WHAT IF WE CANNOT ACCEPT YOUR CASE?

We cannot accept every case. If we cannot help you with a legal problem, we will tell you to check the phone book for a lawyer near you.

Did You Know?

There are over 750,000 Illinois residents living in or near poverty in our 65-county service territory that are potentially eligible for our services.